Ocean (Damage Control 5)

“They just took off?” Ev asks. “Do you know where?”

“We’ll find them,” Tyler says.

“No.” I look up, not really seeing anything. “No.”

“You don’t want to find them?” Raine huffs. “Get your money back?”

“I don’t,” I start and have to stop and start again, my lungs not getting enough air. “I don’t want to see them again.”

“Ocean…” Kayla strokes me hair. “Blue. Breathe.”

“Fuck them,” I say. “Fuck them for this. And for everything. For hurting Raine. For making me give him away. I’ll never forgive them. I’ll…”

“Shh.” Kayla wipes at my cheeks with her hands, and dammit, I don’t know what’s going on and why everyone is staring at me.

“Dammit, Shun,” Raine finally mutters and leans down, wraps an arm around me and lifts me to my feet. “Come on. We’re going home.”

Kayla slips her arm around my hips and smiles up at me, a small, watery smile. “Ready?” she asks.

“If you’re coming with,” I whisper, my voice raspy.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” she tells me, and despite the fact the world’s still tilting, off axis, that’s all I want.

To go home with my brother and the girl I love.

***

The medical center doesn’t exist. The doctor is a fake, as was his receptionist. My mom wasn’t really sick. I have no fucking clue what suddenly clicked in her mind, and she decided I could be used as a damn ATM.

Maybe my dad got into more debt than usual, and they concocted this plan together? Maybe she decided she was fed up with living in a trailer?

How long had they been planning this? Was it Mom’s idea, or did she just play along? Where did they go?

I want to hate her for this. For breaking my trust. For taking my money and leaving me to figure this out alone.

But I’m not alone. Raine is here. My friends are here. And Kayla is here, right here by my side. Oh, sure, I’m mad. I’m flaming pissed. But I can’t hate Mom. She’ll never know what real love is, while I’m surrounded by it.

And I grin as Zane lifts his tattoo gun and waggles his brows at me. “Ready, fucker?”

“As ready as ever.”

“It’s a good sting,” Shane tells me, poking his head into Zane’s cubicle. “You’re

the last one to get the dragon tat, so suck it up, man.”

“Last one for now. Who’s to tell Z-man here won’t decide to bring in more people into the Brotherhood?”

“Nah. I’m good.” Zane drags his stool closer and starts inking the dragon on my back. “Don’t need more of you fuckers driving me insane. Man needs some peace.”

“Do I get a dragon?” Kayla asks, turning from her perusal of Zane’s drawings on the walls of the cubicle to grin at me.

“Depends,” Zane grunts. “What did your parents do to you?”

“They’re homophobes. And hate tattoos.”

Zane whistles. “They sound like assholes. I could ink a dragonfly on you, if you want.”

“They’re not bad enough, huh?”